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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Hello all, I hope your surviving this current lockdown without too much crazy. This week has been a much quieter week for me, and a lot less stressful. As such, the urge to curl up and sleep, or perhaps just hibernate, has been calling me like a sirens song…

But alas, sleep is rarely an option.

In knitting news, I don’t have any small projects that I have finished to show you, so instead I will go into some more detail about my two big projects. One involves a lot of spinning as it’s a sizable item made from my handspun with a story behind it. But you’ll have to wait for more on that.

Instead I shall go into more detail on my other project. After knitting and putting together 60 Christmas tree wreaths decorations in under two weeks, I swore never again. So I have started on Christmas 2021 decorations now – if I knit between one and two a week, it will be done in time for the kids to give to their classmates. I work on this at work, between projects, when I should be spinning but am too tired to, and as my generic fidget now I have the pattern memorised.

So, third week of the year, I should have between three and six, right?

There’s 18. Either they’re breeding or I’m procrastinating. At this rate I’ll be starting Christmas decorations 2022 this year! Pattern is Christmas Tree Decorations by Alan Dart, and yes, I am aware they have no eyes, no one has agreed as to what colour they should be and until then, I’m not putting any on!

That’s all for this week, stay safe, and I’ll see you next week, unless I really do hibernate!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 7 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 0
Wool given to me – 0
Wool gifted to others – 0
Wool handspun – 3 (hooray, I spun lots!)

Total – 893 (Up by two, but that’s because of the handspun, so as I stated in the first post for the year, it doesn’t count! Stash processed is stash processed!)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Despite my best wishes and hopes, the start of 2021 was far more eventful than I wanted. That said, it wasn’t all bad!

The worst part was that, as I suspected, we’ve been put into lockdown again. So no school for the terrors, but unlike last time, I’m not on furlough. Cue many sleepless nights, much stressing and general feelings of despair. But, it all worked out. Both myself and Engel have been deemed as critical workers and we have secured places for both Terrors at school and nursery.

On a better, eventful note, I was surprised by a review video of my knitted Escher Ganger!

You can watch it here!

More eventful news, I won a toy pattern and two sweater patterns through the Wild Knitting challenge! I am really looking forward to doing some knitting for me, but I really need to reduce the stash before I can justify buying two sweater quantities of wool! I’m working on it, managed to burn through 6 balls this week!

In less eventful news, I have managed some spinning for one of my big projects, been plodding away at my year long project and finished a quick little one for Engel just last night which I will share now!

It’s Snorlax! Engel demanded that he get a Pokémon hat after Felix’s Eevee hat and Inklings Meowth hat, so I asked the kids what Pokémon I should knit for him and within three seconds, the answer was Snorlax!

Now the kids are demanding I should make one for me, but there are just so many choices… Gengar? Wooloo? Purrserker?

Till next week, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 6
Wool bought – 0
Wool given to me – 0
Wool gifted to others – 0
Wool handspun – 0

Total – 891

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Good riddance 2020, roll on 2021, may it be a pleasant and uninteresting year!

Amongst the pre new year clean up, the post Christmas toy playing, the snowball fights, sledging and snow trolls I have managed to squeak in one quick last finished knitted object!

A little mat with a pair of hops on it, using bits of cotton I had on hand. It has three shades of purple for the background as I knew I wouldn’t have had enough to do the whole thing with any one shade.

Here’s a close up of the hops.

But why this knit with this design? Because Engel. I got him a number of empty kegs and a dispenser for his Christmas to make bottling up the homebrew that bit faster and easier. So hops for beer and a mat because the dispenser drips a little after initial use before the pressure settles and it’s all good. Here is it in action:

And that’s really all to say this week. I’ve got a big project on the needles which I am still spinning wool for (spun two this week, need to do the next colour now), a multiple small item project that will be done here and there between projects for probably the whole year, and an idea brewing that I am debating whether or not I should knit it. There is also the very long to knit list that needs working through!

So keep safe till next week!

Wool Count

Starting total – 897

Wool used – 0
Wool bought – 0
Wool given to me – 0
Wool gifted to others – 0
Wool handspun – 0

Total – 897

The wool count has been recent as I do every year, usually I aim to get 100 balls out of stash, which I have done, but stash in was much higher. This year I aim to simply have more out than in, not including handspun, as that is just turning fleece stash into a usable form!

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Guys and Gills, are you ready for an un-frog-etable end to the wild knitting challenge?

Are you ribbeted to your seats?

I assure you it’s toad-ally worth the awful puns!

Madagascar was the final destination and the final animal of inspiration was the tomato frog. Those who know of the extent of Engels frog phobia will probably be aware of how loudly I cackled when I saw the challenge.

It was very, very loudly.

So, for flamingoes I did cats in flamingo floats, for sharks it was a matching hat and cowl based on shark skin under a microscope, so what to do for tomato frogs?

After a lot of debate, I settled in Engels least favourite option.

A somewhat realistic, but most certainly life sized, replica! I think it’s adorable, it gives Engel the creeps.

But this little guy is going all the way to America, and so he needed a friend for company. But who?

How about a native to the area? Like the American tree frog. But again, fairly realistic and life sized.

Such a cute pair! (Oh, pattern is Green Frog of Happiness by Sara Elizabeth Kellner from her book Knits for Kitties)

These guys are already in the post, as much fun as it is to tease poor Engel about frogs, these were actually genuinely giving him the creeps and to be fair, when caught out of the corner of your eye, they made me wonder for a split moment if the cats had brought a little hopping present home…

(They did that once, Engel has yet to forgive them, and it was about five years ago)

So on this lovely, fun, light hearted note, I bid you all a good week. Until then, take care!

P.S. Apologies for any spelling and/or grammar issues, my ‘editor’ happens to be the same person who has the frog phobia…sorry Engel! And he’s refused to proof read this post – too many frogs!

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 154 (0 this week)
Wool bought – 28
Wool given to me – 318
Wool gifted to others – 8
Wool handspun – 16

Total – 899 (no change)

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

O Christmas Wreath I never any to knit another…

Long story short: I don’t like Christmas cards, I feel they are a waste of perfectly good trees, and any parent who has had to try and get their child to write out thirty of the things for all their classmates knows, it’s hell.

So last year I knitted decorations for Felix’s class – there’s no bits of paper that’s just going to get tossed, there’s an actual keepsake, and no pain of writing the things out. Felix remembered and wanted to do it again this year.

And if Felix got it, Inkling wanted it to.

That’s 60 decorations. Ok. That’s doable. Kids settled on wreaths, not the quickest, lots of sewing, but doable.

Oh, wait, because of Covid all cards have to be handed in two weeks early. That’s 60 wreaths in under two weeks. And work has been hell. A couple of projects that due to things beyond my control, have to be done by Christmas. So that’s 60 wreaths, full time job, overtime, weekend work, running a house, looking after two terrors, trying to be full of Christmas spirit…

But on the flip side, I got to use up a lot of little nodes and ends of green which has made a nice dent on the stash, and they look cute, even if I was up until 11:30 the night before they got handed in sewing them all up…

Want to see all 60 ready for school?

Next year, I’m starting in November. Pattern btw is free, it’s Advent Garland 13, Wreath by Frankie Brown – if you haven’t checked out her patterns, I highly recommend it.

Now I’m off to enjoy my Sunday in peace. I have a house to put back together and terrors to entertain, but I’m happy with that!

Till next week, stay safe.

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 154 (3 this week)
Wool bought – 28
Wool given to me – 318
Wool gifted to others – 8
Wool handspun – 16

Total – 899

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

A lot like Christmas, or, as much as it can in my house! The advent stockings are up and full of person specific treats, the stockings are waiting for their gifts to go inside, all the cute handmade decorations cover the house and the tree has made a very early appearance for us.

Every year I make a decoration, to commemorate something about that year. And this year? Well, it could only be one thing:

Yep. The coronavirus. This is made following the free pattern Fearsome coronavirus ball by Tamara Kulikov. Strangely enough, it’s one of the few decorations that could almost pass as an actual Christmas decoration. I mean, it does look like a bauble, just a bit…

There’s been a lot of knitting as I bit off far more than I could chew when agreeing to the kids demands for little decorations for their class mates rather than the horror of trying to make them write out Christmas cards…

I didn’t realise that would mean knitting 60 of the cursed things…at least it’s let me use up 5 small balls of green scraps! Hopefully I will be done by next week and show those off then!

Till then, keep safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 151 (5 this week)
Wool bought – 28
Wool given to me – 318
Wool gifted to others – 8
Wool handspun – 16

Total – 902

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

Yeah, I gave in and made Inkling his own Pokémon hat, and he insisted on Meowth. I tried, so very hard, to get him to pick a host of ones I thought would look far cuter but…no.

Here is the finished hat next to a cuddly toy version of Meowth. I will admit it did come out cute! I made it using my own generic hat pattern and then just winged the rest to give something approximating the proportions and shapes I wanted.

He’s smitten with it, so my job is done! Or at least, I thought it was until Engel informed me that I definitely owe him a few hats and if the kids have Pokémon ones, he wants a Pokémon one too.

I spoke with the kids and in under three seconds it has been agreed that a Snorlax would suit him the best, so keep an eye out for that!

In other news work has been manic, and Christmas is creeping into the house, so much so I gave in and put the tree up today as the terrors had asked for it at least three dozen times…does bring colour to the house! I will share photos of it and this year’s decoration next week once I have rearranged all the decorations once the terrors are in bed…

Till next week, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 146 (4 this week)
Wool bought – 28
Wool given to me – 318
Wool gifted to others – 8
Wool handspun – 16

Total – 907

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

There are many things I have missed since the beginning of the first lock down. The freedom to visit friends. Family. Day trips. Having spur of the moment adventures…

But something I am really missing? Hugs.

Quite a lot of people I know are missing this simple act of human interaction, and it’s something I have wanted to give people quite badly in these times of strangeness and hardship.

But seeing as I can’t give physical hugs, I shall give knitted ones! Nothing will stop me from sharing my hugs to those who need them!

These are based on the free pattern Social Distance Hug by Korri Wass .

Aside from knitting hugs and being sentimental, it’s mainly been work, housework, schoolwork, and Pokémon over here. I have reinstalled Pokémon Go on my phone, to get Pokémon for Felix for her game on the Switch, and now I remember why I got rid of it in the first place…

It’s addictive and eats into my knitting time!

But I…gotta gotta gotta catch ’em all! Gotta catch ’em all, Pokémon!

There’s not much else to say for this week, Christmas is coming but no one is feeling particularly festive here, and I think we all know already it’s going to be a strange one…

Till next week, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 141 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 28
Wool given to me – 318
Wool gifted to others – 8
Wool handspun – 16

Total – 911

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 2 Comments

So this month’s Wildknitting challenge was Australia, the Great Barrier Reef and more specifically, sharks! I opted to do a trade again, and rather than go for the obvious option of a cuddly toy, I decided to have a bit of a play.

First I googled how shark skin looked under a microscope…

And then I looked for a stitch pattern that resembled it, with luck, I found a hat pattern that had the perfect one on it! And free too! Zinnia Dahlia by Petra Hoy – I worked the slipped stitches in a metallic grey and the rest in a soft grey wool to give…

As well as a hat, I did a matching cowl, and to make it extra shark like, added teeth! Here’s the finished result.

I’m pretty happy with the result, and the slipped stitch pattern definitely has potential for a few future projects. But those will be a long time off as I have a very long list of projects to get in with in the mean time!

So until next week, stay safe!

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 140 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 28
Wool given to me – 318
Wool gifted to others – 8
Wool handspun – 16

Total – 912

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by RoxyPosted on Posted in Knitting 1 Comment

Pokémon mania has spread through the house at an alarming rate thanks to this Switch game. There’s been lengthy discussions of Pokémon evolution, strengths, weaknesses and battle tactics over dinner, and outbreaks of the Pokerap and the classic opening theme throughout the day.

Felix got the game for her birthday, and within a fortnight of her having it, had jumped to the top reading band at school, so aside from the nostalgic elements of the classic 150 Pokémon for us as parents, it has dramatically helped her reading.

As a reward for doing so well at school, I asked if she wanted anything and…she wanted me to knit a new hat. An Eevee hat. So, for those who don’t know what that is:

This adorable little critter which is her starting Pokémon in the game. I couldn’t resist such a cute challenge, and so:

We have the ears on top of the hat and the fluffy ruff is a keyhole scarf attached to the back of the hat! I think it’s ‘super effective’! And to show it on something, here it is on a cuddly toy cthulhu which was the only thing it would fit on that was at hand…

Obviously it is far cuter on Felix! The only issue is, Inkling now wants a Pokémon hat too, but is having problems deciding just which one he wants…

Till next week, stay safe everyone!

Wool Count

Starting total – 704

Wool used – 139 (1 this week)
Wool bought – 28
Wool given to me – 318
Wool gifted to others – 8
Wool handspun – 16

Total – 913

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